Hybrid
by Krimzon 1
Summary: Set after Jak 2. A demolition team discovers someone unexpected in an old prison cell. You'll have to read and find out who it is. Changed rating due to blood, gore, and Ezra's mouth. R&R please. Chapter 6 Overhauled and resubmitted for your approval
1. Found

Disclaimer:  I don't own Naughty Dog's characters; I'm just borrowing them for the story.  I do own Ezra though, so no touchy unless you ask.

A/N:  Yeah I know.  I _should _be working on my other stories, but I haven't a clue on where any of them are going.  So I'm writing another story that will _hopefully_ go better than the others.  Expect the characters to be OOC, although I'll try to keep them in character as best as I can.   

             Also suggestions for a title (because I'm at a loss for one--;) would be greatly appreciated, although you may want to wait until later chapters before suggesting one.   

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            Ashelin sighed as she sat back in her chair and rubbed her temples.  It was late and she was tired, but she had so much work left.  And chances were good she wasn't going to get much sleep.  Her father had left such a mess that it was going to take months to sort it all out.  There were hundreds of things that she had to go through, everything from rebuilding projects to new laws, all of which had to go through her for approval and everyone wanted it done now.  She was glad that Torn was taking care of Guard situation, it gave Ashelin one less thing to worry about.   

              "Screw this!"  She muttered glancing over at the wall clock.  There was no way in hell she was going to do anything else until she got some sleep.  And with that thought in mind she stood and stretched; her back and shoulders popping at the movement.  She flicked the light off as she left the room.  The guards outside the door came to attention as she exited.  "Go ahead and take the rest of the night off."  She told them, not bothering to be formal about it. 

            "Yes Governor."  They answered in unison.

            "I'll see you in the morning."  She shot over her shoulder from the end of the hallway.

            She made her was towards the elevator, her feet practically dragging.  Once inside the elevator, Ashelin leaned back against the far wall, her eyes closing during the ride.  She made a mental note not to stay up late like this again, well at least not during the week.  Ashelin jumped when her communicator began to buzz.  "Damn it!"  She growled, grabbing the offensive device.   

            "This had _better_ be good."  She hissed into the communicator.

            "My apologies Governor," came the voice on the other end. "But we have a situation over at the prison."

            "What, did a prisoner escape?"

            "No Ma'am."

            "So what's the problem?"  She said becoming irritated.

            "The problem is over at the old prison."  The voice said.  "The demolition crew found something."

            "What _kind_ of something."

            "Not sure, but they said you should come and see it."

            'So much for taking the rest of the nigh off.'  Ashelin thought bitterly.  "Fine, I'll be there shortly."   

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            Ashelin stepped off the Hell Kat as it landed out side the prison, one of the guards approaching as she did so.   

            "So what is this _thing_ I need to see?"  Ashelin asked sounding just a little annoyed. 

            "Not sure."  The guard answered.  "One of the demolition team members said there was someone locked up in one of the old prison cells.

            "Do they know who it is?"

            "Can't tell," He shrugged.  "We're not even sure he's still alive."

            Ashelin gave an exasperated sigh.  "Has Torn been notified about this?"

            He nodded as he spoke.  "He should be here soon."

            "Very well," She said.  "Have him join me once he gets here." 

            "Yes Ma'am."  He answered as he saluted her.

            The section of prison in question had been shut down for years.  After the city's power grid was changed over and a new prison was built, the old prison became pretty much obsolete.  For a while though, it did served as a place to hold prisoners until the new prison was completed.  After that it was abandoned and left to rot.  It was now scheduled to be torn down.

            Ashelin made her way through the deteriorating corridors by way of lighting put up by the demolition team as the building was being checked out, and rigged with explosives.  Wires and pipes hung from the ceiling and walls, cell doors lay on the floor, their hinges longs since rusted away.  The entire place reeked of stagnant water, mildew and animal waste.  The smell was strong enough, that it made Ashelin practically gag; she was half tempted to turn around and go back outside because of the stench.

            She rounded the corner and saw a group of guards and construction crew members standing at the end of the hallway by the cell that she assumed held the 'prisoner'.  They looked up at her as she approached.

            "He's in here."  One of the workers said as he pointed to the cell.

            The first thing Ashelin noticed as she stepped up to the door was that it wasn't rusted and rotting the others.  Instead it looked as if someone had recently installed it.  The second thing she noticed; was that the door had no handle, no lock and no key pad on it; the only thing the door really had was a small barred window. 

            "Looks like who ever did this didn't want anyone getting in or out."  She said as she peered in the window. 

            The cell was almost pitch black, the small amount of light that filtered through window did little to illuminate the cell.    She squinted, trying to see through the darkness, barely making out the figure lying on the bed. 

            "Damn."  She muttered.  "Someone hand me a light."

            A flashlight was handed to her, and she once again looked into the cell.  The figure was now clearly visible under the flashlight's glare, and she gasped at what she saw.  She could see now that the figure was indeed male, wearing little more than a pair of black pants, and metal collar around his neck.  His body was extremely thin, almost emaciated.  He lay on his back, his right hand resting on his stomach, his left lay on the dirty floor; long tapered nails grew from his fingers.  His hair was almost shoulder length, and was brownish, maybe red, in color.  His head was turned away from the door, so Ashelin couldn't make out his face, although she could see the tattoos on his dirt smudged ears.  'He's a member of the Guard.'  She thought in surprise as she backed way from the door.

            "Get this door open now!"  She ordered.

            "Yes Ma'am."  A crew member said as he ran off to find help and tools.

            Ashelin then turned to one of the guards.  "Send for a medic.  If he is still alive, I want to know why he's here.

            Once the guard left, Ashelin looked back into the cell.  "Who are you?"  She whispered to herself.  The dirt on his ears distorted the tattoos, so she couldn't make a positive identification by them.  And the fact that his face was turned away from her didn't help either.

            "Governor, we're ready to open the door."  The demolition team was back with cutting torches and crow bars.

            She nodded and stepped way from the door allowing them to get to work.  "Notify me when you get it open."  With that she exited the prison to wait for Torn and the medic team, and to get some much needed fresh air.

            She was approached by Torn as she stepped outside the prison.  He looked just as bad as she did.  She could help smiling at him.

            "So much for sleep, huh?"  She asked smirking. 

            He glared at her before answering.  "What's this all about?"

            "There is someone locked up in one of the cells."  She said becoming serious.  "I have a team opening the door right now."

            "So what did he do, _accidentally_ lock himself in?"

            "Not unless he installed a lockless door himself, besides," She shrugged. "It looks like he's been there a while."

            "Lockless?"

            Ashelin nodded.  "There's no lock, no handle, just a small window.  There's something else too."

            "What?"

            "He's a member of the Guard."

            "Are you sure?"

            She nodded again.  "I can't see his face, but I can see the tattoos on his ears."

            They were interrupted when a guard approached them.  "Governor, the medics are here."  He said has he motioned towards the landing transport.

            "Thank you."

            "So, you gonna show me the reason I'm not in bed right now?"  Torn said smirking.

            "Oh, shut up!"  Ashelin muttered walking towards the prison again, a chuckling Torn and medics in tow.

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            "Remind me again why your father didn't tear this place down."  Torn said as he tied a scarf over his nose and mouth in an attempt to block out the smell.

            "I think he said it was because he didn't want to waste time or manpower."

            "Oh."

            The group rounded the corner just as the demolition team finished cutting through the door.  The man with cutting torch back away and let two other men approach so they could pry the door open.

            "You weren't kiddin' about the door."  Torn smirked.

            The door creaked and groaned as the workers forced it open, the metal slab finally giving way to their efforts. 

            "Watch your toes ladies."  One worker said as the door fell to the ground with a resounding _clang_, dust and debris flying into the air as it landed.

            "I'll check it out first."  Ashelin said stepping towards the door.

            "You sure?"  Torn asked.

            "Are you worried about me, Torn?"

            "Hey, I'm just checking."

            Ashelin smiled.  "Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine."  With that she turned and walked towards the now open door, flashlight in hand.  She squinted through the haze left by the dust the door had kicked up.  Her eyes glance around the room.  It looked much like the rest of the prison did.  Rust had begun eating away at the steel, water dripped from cracks and holes in the walls and ceiling.  Up in the corner near the door there was an old surveillance camera.  Her eyes eventually traveled down to the floor.  Animal bones and other debris lay scattered about; there were also deep gouges, like claw marks, in the floor and the walls as well.  Her gaze finally settled on the individual in question.

            She stood only a few feet away, and already she could make out more details of his person.  She could see now that the collar around his neck was chained to the wall, and what she thought was dirt smeared on his body, was mostly dried blood.  Whose blood it was, Ashelin didn't want to know.  As she looked the rest of him over, she noticed details about him that didn't make scene.  For one, his nails, they looked a lot like Jak's did when he changed, except they were dark silver not black.  And then there was the tail, what was perhaps the most out-of-place feature on his person, since when did people grow tails?  Ashelin could only imagine.  She shifted the flashlight up towards his head.

            'May as well find out who you are.'  She thought, swallowing a lump in her throat. 

            With the light now illuminating his head, Ashelin could now see that his hair was not brown, but red, _flame red_.  Blood and dirt coated most of the fiery strands, giving them the illusion of being brown.  She could just make out the tattoos on his ears, "It can't be."  She whispered.  Ashelin hesitantly move forward to get a look at the man's face.  She gasped when she saw it.

            "By Mar, no!"  Ashelin said slowly sinking to her knees.  The movement caught Torn's attention.

            "Ashelin?"  He moved to stand in the door way.  "Is something wrong?"

            Ashelin looked over her shoulder, her eyes wide.  "…It's Ezra."

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Author's Rant:  A little rough starting, but it'll get better.  And you're probably wondering who Ezra is, well I'm not telling until chapter 2, but you're welcome to guess.   Anyhoo, I'll have chapter 2 & 3 soon, I just have to type them up, so please R&R and let me know what you think.


	2. Ezra

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the J&D characters.  But I do own Ezra, so no touchy, unless you ask nicely.

A/N:  Chapter 2 is up (a little shorter than the first, but it gets the ball rolling) and you get to find out who Ezra is.  It may be a little while before I get the next chapter up, because it's long one, and it's not turning out the way I want it.  Anyway, please R&R. 

Thanks to Reviewers:

Hellmouth2:

Daxterissocute:

Krin: God I hope there is no spelling or grammar errors, I use my spell check, _a lot _(I love my spell check ::sniffles::)  I love your stories by the way, especially Cilley.  __

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            "What!?"  Torn said as he entered the cell, the medic team following him.

            "It's Ezra."  Ashelin repeated, moving away from the bed.

            "How can it be Ezra?"  Torn asked stepping up to examine the 'prisoner'.  "He was killed by Metal…"

            He paused as his eyes fell to the person in question.  The Commander's eyes wandered over the thin blood and dirt smeared body, and finally to the partially covered tattoos on his face and ears.  It was indeed the supposedly deceased Krimzon Guard, and Erol's identical twin brother, Ezra.  'By Mar, what the hell happened to him.'  Torn thought as he noticed the changes to the KG's body.  His eyes finally settled on the collar around Ezra's neck, there was something printed on it.  He reached forward and shifted the collar so he could see what was written.  Torn's brow furrowed as he read the initials D.W.P. no.1 printed on the collar's metal surface.

            Ashelin watched Torn for a moment before speaking up.  "Torn?  What's wrong?"

            "The Baron put him in the Dark Warrior Program."

            "What…Why?"  Ashelin asked.  "Erol wouldn't have allowed it."

            "Erol didn't know about it."  Torn said as he motioned for the medics to take Ezra.  "He was told that Ezra was killed by Metal Heads.  That's what we were all told."

            The chain fell to the floor with a heavy _clank, _and Ezra was carefully lifted and taken from the room.

            "You do realize he will want to know where Erol is if he comes to."   

            "That's the part that worries me."  Torn said, following Ashelin and the medics out of the prison.

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            Torn stood by the door to Ezra's hospital room, his eyes resting on the unconscious figure lying on the bed.  He looked even worse after the nurses cleaned him up.  Not only was he extremely thin, but he was horribly pale as well, his tattoos almost looked black against the paleness of his skin.  And other oddities had also been uncovered on Ezra's person when the doctors looked him over.  His eyes for one were no longer brown like his brother's.  They were now a very bright fluorescent green, much like zoomer coolant.  And his pupils were thin vertical slits, similar to cat's eyes.  His teeth had changed as well; to Torn they looked like they belonged in the mouth of some fang toothed animal.  

            Torn shook his head, if Erol saw his brother in this condition he'd go ballistic.

            The sound of approaching foot step drew Torn's attention.

            "Ah, Commander how are we this evening?"  The doctor said as he entered the room.

            "I've been better."  Torn said wearily.  "So how is he?" 

            "Well aside from being severely dehydrated and malnourished, he should be fine."  The doctor said flipping through some paperwork. 

            "What about the changes?"

            "They are the result of the Dark Warrior testing, like you said.  But this transformation is not just from Dark Eco."

             "What do you mean?"

            "Dark Eco was used, Ezra's blood tests show high levels of it, but it seems the Baron also used Metal Head DNA on the early test subjects.  The end result is what you see here."

            "So why aren't there others like him?"

            "I've been going over the files of the Dark Warrior Program that the Governor gave to me.  It looks as though Ezra was the first and only test subject to have survived the early testing, all others died due to complications.  That's when the Baron changed to just using Dark Eco, it had a better survival rate."

            Torn was silent for a moment, his mind processing the information he had just been given.  "How long before he comes around?"

            The doctor shrugged.  "It could be a couple days or a couple weeks.  There's really no telling."

            Torn nodded.  "Let me know when he does."

            "Of course."  The doctor said.  "Is there anything else you would like me to do?"

            "Yeah, keep some guards around and if he starts asking questions, don't tell him anything until I get here."  Torn said as he turned to leave.

            "Is there a reason for that?"

            "If you knew Ezra like I do, once he finds out that his brother is dead, the shit is going to hit the fan."

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Author's Rant:  Betcha never saw that one coming.  Anyhoo, I assumed they know what DNA is, because I have no idea what else to call it.  I'm also guessing that zoomer coolant is the same color as our antifreeze, that really cool fluorescent green.  And on a quick note:  I suck royally at personifying Torn and Ashelin-.-; Yeah so, give me feedback, and I'll have chapter 3 up as soon as I can, and Chapter 4 is in the works.  Oh yeah, if anyone wants a full description/background on Ezra let me know.  I've typed one up, but it's rather boring (it was originally going to be part of chapter 3 but I decided against it) so I'll only put it up if enough people want it, I'll either attach it to chapter 3 or make it its own chapter. 


	3. Awakening

Disclaimer: I don't own them, wish I did. I do, however, own Ezra (He's MINE all MINE!!!! ::laughs like a lunatic::)

A/N: This chapter would have been up sooner, but unfortunately I can no longer access the disk I saved it on, so I had to rewrite the whole bloody thing (that's what I get for not having a back up copy--.) Anyhoo, this chapter is a flashback, hence the italics, it takes place approximately 4 years before the end of Jak 2. It's basically the last time Erol and Ezra see each other. Ezra tells his brother that he is leaving the guard and a nosey soldier over hears him and 'tattles'. It also covers Ezra time in prison. Quick note: Ezra is more laid back around his brother; it seems that Erol is the only one that is able to get Ezra to laugh much less smile. Also Erol is not so, for lack of a better word, hostile. And incase you were wondering, Ezra's tattoos look just like Erol's except that his are smooth and taper off. So please R&R and tell me what you think.

Thanks to Reviewers: Hellmouth2, AngelGardian666, Krin, Paperxflowers, Kiea. And thank you for your patience.

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_"You're coming to the races this weekend aren't you?" Erol asked as he sat down across from his brother, a bar maid setting a drink before him._

_The Hip Hog was unusually busy for a week night, not that is was a bad thing. It was just that most of the visitors were off duty guards, which made the bar patrons a little uneasy. _

_"Of course." Ezra answered playing idly with a throwing knife. "I wouldn't miss seeing my little brother race."_

_Erol eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me, did you say **little** brother?"_

_Ezra just smirked._

_"If I recall correctly, mother did say I was born first."_

_"Not that she could tell." Ezra shrugged._

_"True, but that's what she said" _

_A shout interrupted them, and they both looked towards the front of the saloon where two guards from different squads had gotten into a fight, their peers cheering them on._

_Erol shook his head as he turned back to his brother. "So, there was something you wanted to tell me?" He asked, taking a drink._

_"I'm leaving the guard." Ezra murmured, glancing around the room making sure no one heard him._

_Erol practically choked on his drink, he couldn't believe what his brother just said. _

_It took him a few moments of coughing before he could speak. "You're what!?" He whispered hoarsely._

_Ezra glared across the table. "You heard me." He said, not willing to repeat himself._

_"Why?"_

_"We keep getting sent on suicidal missions, only to be slaughtered by Metal Heads and rebels. It's just not worth it any more."_

_You do realize the Baron won't just let you up and leave."_

_"Who said I was going to tell him?"_

_Little did they know that a fellow guard sat 'eavesdropping' at the booth behind them. He smirked, 'You may not tell him, but I will.' He thought as sip his drink._

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_Three days later, Ezra and a few members of his squad were out on another pointless mission. The Baron wanted them to check out a few sites for Metal Head activity. It hadn't been worth the effort. They hadn't seen or heard squat._

_Ezra stood watch while the rest of the group took a break. He fingered the hilt of his bowie knife, scanning the area for signs of a threat. "This is fucking ridiculous." He growled to himself as he turned and joined the rest of the squad._

_"Pack up. We're heading back."_

_Some of the guards groaned as they gathered their things and headed towards the transport, this had been the only break they had had in weeks._

_Ezra glanced back over his shoulder to check for stragglers and then turned to board the air train. But before he could take one step he was hit in the face with the butt of a rifle, sending him to the ground. He caught a glimpse of his attacker before he lost consciousness._

_"The Baron wants to see you." The guard snickered as he dragged Ezra onto the transport. _

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_Erol searched the crowd for his brother; he wasn't in his usual place by the sidelines of the racetrack. _

_Ezra may not have been particularly fond of crowds, but he never missed one of Erol's races. Erol knew that Ezra's squad was back from the recon mission, so Ezra should have been with them. _

_"All racers to the starting line." Erol's ears drooped a little when the announcer's voice echoed over the stadium._

_He sighed heavily as he slid his mask down. 'Maybe he's just running late.' Erol thought, trying to be optimistic._

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_Ezra groaned as he came to, his head pounding and vision blurred. He made to sit up but soon found that he was strapped down to a table. He also realized that all of his equipment was gone and that he was shirtless. He tugged at his bonds, trying to free himself._

_"Ah, I see we're awake." Came the Baritone._

_Ezra glared as the Baron approached him. "What do you want with me?" He hissed._

_The Baron ignored the question. "I was told that you had intentions of leaving the guard." He said glancing to one of his scientist, who was preparing a syringe filled with a reddish-purple liquid. A second man stood by a control console waiting for orders._

_Ezra remained silent as the Baron continued. _

_"You know there are consequences for attempting to leave the Krimzon Guard." He said, looking up at the large machine above their heads. He signaled to the man standing next to the control panel, who started flicking switches. The machine hummed to life, purple lighting crackling and arching from it. Ezra starred wide eyed as he realized what the Baron intended to do with him._

_Ezra winced when he felt something pierce the skin on the inside of his left arm and he turned his head to see that the scientist was injecting burgundy liquid into him. At first, Ezra could only feel a dull ache where the needle had entered his arm, a cold burning sensation soon followed. It started at his arm and slowly worked its way through the rest of his body. His breathing began coming in short gasps, as the cold surged through his lungs and throat. _

_The Baron watched his first 'volunteer' for a few moments before nodding to the man at the console, who pressed one last button, and the machine sent a stream of Dark Eco towards its helpless victim. _

_Ezra's back arched off the table, his mouth gaping open, a strangled scream escaping him as the Dark Eco tore through his body, reacting with fluid that had been injected earlier and it burned as it flowed through his veins. He gritted his teeth as he turned his head to glare at the Baron._

_Praxis smirked and motioned for the power to be increased. It was done and Ezra cried out for the second time, his eyes clamping shut. Ezra tugged at his bonds again, hoping that they might break and he could escape this hell, they didn't and he did little more than make his wrists bleed._

_"That's enough." The Baron finally said. The machine fell silent and Ezra's body lay motionless. His breathing was shallow and uneven, and blood had seeped from his nose and mouth. _

_"How is he?" Praxis asked as he stood over the unconscious figure._

_The scientist scanned over a computer screen as information scrolled across it. "He's stable."_

_"Good." The Baron smiled. "Have him ready as soon as he's awake." _

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_Erol made his way through the Krimzon Guard fortress; he had to see if anyone knew where his brother was._

_He entered one of the locker rooms and was glad to see that the majority of guards in the room were part of Ezra's squad._

_"Has anyone seen Ezra?" He asked searching the room._

_A few guards shrugged but no one said anything._

_A worried expression crossed Erol's face; it wasn't like Ezra to go some where without telling someone, especially Erol._

_"He came back with you didn't he?" He asked when he saw Ezra's second-in-command._

_"You haven't heard?" The guard said, doing his best to keep a straight face._

_"Heard what?" _

_"We where ambushed," He said. "Ezra was over powered and they killed him." _

_The guard suddenly found himself pinned to the wall. "You lie!" Erol hissed, gripping the man's shirt tightly._

_The soldier scowled and shoved Erol away. "You don't believe me?" He growled. "Go ask the Baron then." With that he turned and stalked towards the door, the rest of the squad following._

_The second-in-command paused at the door and turned. "Oh, there's one more thing." He said digging in his hip pouch and removing something wrapped in a cloth. "You can have this." He threw it to Erol, who caught it by reflex. "Maybe if he'd use a gun he may still be alive." The guard threw over his shoulder as he left._

_Erol stood alone staring at the bundle in his hands. He didn't want to open it; he had a feeling he knew what it was. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he forced himself to unwrap it. He froze when he saw Ezra's knife, the blade broken a few inches from the hilt and dry blood splattered all over it._

_Erol suddenly felt weak and he slowly sank to his knees, he couldn't believe that Ezra was gone, the only person he ever considered a friend was gone. His brother was gone. _

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_The treatments went on for months. At first there had been no physical changes in Ezra, although he had become more aggressive, lashing out at anyone who got too close. It got to the point that the guards had to tranquilize him before every treatment, and chain him up after. Despite this, the Baron insisted that the testing continue._

_The physical changes began a short time later, during this time the testing ceased, and Ezra was monitored while the changes occurred. _

_The first change had been subtle as Ezra's eye began to fade from brown to a bright green, and his pupils became like those of a cat, and with the change in appearance came enhanced in vision. Everything became clearer and more defined, and everyone soon found that Ezra could see very well in the dark. The next set of changes though, had been painful. His fingers where left bloody as long steel colored talons grew, each one razor sharp and more than capable of ripping flesh from bone, as one unlucky guard found out one night when he brought food to Ezra. He was constantly spitting blood and his teeth, when fangs grew to replace them. The final change had been the most surprising. Over a few weeks time Ezra had begun growing a tail. The new appendage's final length was approximately the same length as Ezra was tall, and for a while he was unable make use of it, but Ezra was a quick learner._

_Once Ezra recovered from the transformations, the Baron decided to pay him a visit, much to Ezra's displeasure._

_The Baron entered Ezra's cell, a guard stood outside just in case something happened. Praxis was somewhat surprised to find that cell was completely dark, the light having long since been shattered. He gazed around the small room, smiling when he saw a pair of glowing green eyes staring back at him._

_"I must say that I'm pleased with your…" Praxis sentence was cut short when Ezra snarled and lunged at him, completely disregarding the fact that he was chained to the wall by his neck. Praxis only chuckled; he knew full well what the chains limit was, as well as what Ezra's reach was when he was at the end of it._

_Ezra grunted when the chain pull taut, bringing his body to an abrupt halt. He growled and lashed out anyways, hoping that the Baron was within range, unfortunately he wasn't. _

_"Are we about finished?" Praxis mocked._

_"Oh, I haven't even started." Came the snarled retort._

_"Defiant till the end I see." The Baron chuckled, shaking his head. "It doesn't really mater; you will either serve me or die."_

_"Fuck you!" Ezra hissed, his eyes narrowing to slits. _

_The Baron burst out laughing, his head thrown back, and that was when Ezra made his move. A sly grin slid across his face, long fangs glistening in the dim light, Praxis may have been out of arms reach, but he wasn't out of **tails** reach. His tail slowly coiled around the Baron's lower leg before tugging sharply, pulling the Baron's leg out from under him. _

_Praxis gave a surprised yelp as he fell to the floor, Ezra moving up his body, hell bent on ripping the rest of his face off. He never got a chance to finish his attack. The guard standing watch at the door slammed the butt of his rifle in Ezra's face sending him to the floor, giving Praxis a chance to get away._

_"KILL HIM!" The Baron ordered._

_Ezra shook his head, the blow dazed him but it wasn't enough to stop him. He growled and leapt at the guard, who had brought his gun around and fired one shot as Ezra attacked._

_Ezra's body flew back and collided with the far wall. He slid down it, the gaping wound that had been blown through his body leaving a bloody streak. He slumped forward as he came to rest on the floor, his hands out at his side and his legs spread. The guard hesitantly moved towards Ezra, cocking his gun just in case Ezra wasn't dead. He kicked at Ezra's foot, and when he got no reaction he turned and looked over at the Baron. "He's dead sir." He said as turned, still standing next to the dead body._

_"Good." The Baron grumbled. "Get someone in here to clean up this mess."_

_"Yes Sir." The KG said as he made to carry out the Baron's order. _

_He never made it._

_The KG cried out in pain and fell to his knees, blood gushing from the massive wound in his right leg. He looked back to see that Ezra, who was very much alive, had his talons buried in his leg. _

_"That hurt." Ezra said quietly as if the bloody hole was nothing. _

_Ezra pulled himself up into a crouching position as he dragged the shocked and wounded guard towards him, the gaping wound in his chest healing rapidly. The KG panicked and began to struggle against the **creature** behind him, his screams of terror falling on def ears. Ezra tore the gun from the soldier's hands and threw it across the room at the same time he removed the guard's helmet. He coiled his tail around his victim's legs and clamped down, shattering them, all the while his claws were tearing armor from the soldier's body. _

_The whole time this went on, Praxis just stood in the doorway watching the monster he created maul the helpless guard. Ezra took note of this and decided that this would be a good time to add some insult to injury. He grinned and leaned down to whisper into the soldier's ear. _

_"What kind of leader just stands around and watches his own solider die?" Ezra whispered to the guard, his eyes focused on the Baron. The KG whimpered and reached towards the man he had sworn loyalty to. "He doesn't care about you," Ezra continued. "You mean nothing to him. As far as he is concerned you're expendable. By tomorrow you'll be replaced by another pathetic, worthless, brainwashed fool."_

_The Baron sneered as he listened to Ezra degrade him. He soon decided that enough was enough, and he pulled a hand gun from his belt and fired one shot at the soldier's head, killing him. _

_Ezra smirked and sat back, flicking bits of skull and brain from his body. "I suppose you would consider that a mercy killing." It was spoken as more of a statement then a question._

_"Shut up!" Praxis snarled aiming the gun at Ezra._

_"He already tried that." Ezra said motioning to the deceased guard. "And look where that got him."_

_The gun shot had caught the attention of other KGs patrolling the prison and a group of them had come to see what the commotion was._

_"Take this **thing **and lock it up where it'll never see light of day again." Praxis snarled when the guards got there._

_"You think that locking me up and forgetting about me will make me go away." Ezra said just before he was knocked out. _

_"No," The Baron said as Ezra was dragged from the cell. "But by the time anyone finds you, you'll be corpse." _

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Ezra's eye shot open, a low growl escaping his throat as vision accustom to darkness was suddenly over whelmed by the hospital's blaring lights.

"Well this is unexpected." A voice said. "We weren't expecting you to be awake so soon."

Ezra shifted his gaze towards the source of the voice. A man wearing a long white over coat stood at the end of the bed filling out a chart, a nurse stood next to him. The doctor smiled at Ezra before turning to the nurse. "Please inform the Commander that our patient is awake." She nodded and turned to leave the room.

Ezra's gaze followed her as she left; she passed a pair of guards that stood at the door. They looked like Krimzon Guards except that their armor was blue not red.

"So, how are we feeling?" The doctor asked, drawing Ezra's attention from the guards.

Ezra ignored the question and asked one of his own. "Where is Erol?"

The doctor hesitated for a moment as he remembered what Torn told him. "The Commander will be here soon to answer all your questions." He said as he adjusted a tube on Ezra's IV.

Ezra's eyes narrowed as he sensed the doctor's uneasiness. "So you can't even tell me where my brother is?"

The doctor remained silent as he crossed the room and began removing a few items from a drawer. He motioned to the guards who left their position at the door and approached Ezra. The doctor turned and Ezra could now see what it was that he had been doing. He held a syringe in one hand and a small bottle in the other.

Ezra growled and sat up, he had had his fill of needles while in prison.

"Please just relax." The doctor said as he filled the syringe. "This will calm you until the Commander gets here."

'Like hell!' Ezra thought as he lunged at the advancing doctor and guards.

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Author's Rant: Finally, after a minor setback, chapter 3 is done (does the happy dance.) Once again I thank you for your patience, and I'm sorry it took so long for the update. Anyway, I would have a pic of Ezra up, but unfortunately my scanner is not working (stupid piece of crap.) I'll probably revise certain parts that I'm not happy with, but I'll do that after I get chapter 4 up. So give me feed back and I'll have chapter 4 up soon.


	4. Confrontation

Disclaimer:  I don't own any of the J&D characters.  I do own Ezra though.

A/N:  Again I apologize about the wait (I'm horrible aren't I?)  Anyway please R&R and chapter 5 will be up soon.  I'm finished writing it and I'm just editing it right now.

Thanks to Reviewers:  Hellmouth2, Snowecat and Jess. 

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            Torn had gotten the message that Ezra had awoken late that night, and he was surprised to say the least.  It had only been two days since Ezra was found, and already he was awake. 

            He made his way through the hospital ward, passing patients and nurses as he went.  Ezra was being kept away from the main section of the hospital to prevent any unauthorized personnel from seeing him.  He passed through a set of double doors and turned a corner. 

            Torn froze dead in his tracks at the sight before him.

            One of the guards that he had told the doctor to keep around was lying on the ground in a pool of blood across from Ezra's room, the wall above him cracked. 

            'What the hell…!'  He thought as he slowly approached the room, drawing one of his pistols as he did so.  He flattened against the wall as he neared the door, doing his best not to step in the dead guard's blood, and slowly he peered around the corner.

            The room was in total disarray.  The second guard was slumped against the far wall, his shock rifle shoved through his body.  The doctor was laying face down near the door, a syringe buried in his back and an IV tube wrapped around his neck.  Hospital equipment lay in pieces all over the room.  Blood and claw marks covered the once white walls, floor and ceiling.  A bloody curtain hid the bed from view, so Torn couldn't tell if anyone else was in the room, but he had a gut feeling that there was.

            Torn entered the room, mentally kicking himself for not calling for backup.  Not that it would have been any help from the looks of it, but it would have made him feel better.

            "I ask one simple question."  Torn practically jumped out of his skin when the voice broke the silence, his heart pounding in his chest as he pressed his back against the wall opposite the bed.  "And I can't get a straight answer."

            Ezra sat at the head of the bed, his right leg tucked up against his chest and his left hanging over the side.  Blood covered his arms up to the elbows and was spattered all over his body.  Long fiery strands of hair hung in his face contrasting sharply with his now icy green eyes and dark facial tattoos.  He held something shinny in his hands, and it took Torn a moment to realize that it was a scalpel.  And that's when Torn remembered Ezra's love of bladed weapons, he couldn't think of a time that Ezra wasn't carrying or playing with a knife of some kind.

            A whimper broke through the silence a second time and Torn's eyes were drawn towards the source of the sound.  The nurse sat on the floor behind Ezra's leg with his tail coiled around her neck, her eyes wide with fear. 

            "Ezra," Torn said his mouth dry.  "You didn't need to do this to them.  I told them not to tell you."

            Ezra's eyes narrowed as he spoke.  "And why was that?"

            "I was trying to avoid what happened here."  Torn said glancing about.  "It seems I was mistaken."

            "No shit."  Ezra said flipping the scalpel around between his fingers.  "So, are you going to tell me what I want to know, or do you get to join your subordinates?"  He asked pointing to the dead guard. 

            Torn remained silent for a moment as he eyed the guard, his stomach threatening to expel its contents.  Ezra watched him, glowering, obviously displeased with the FL Commander's silence, and a low growl grated in the back of his throat.  "Speak up Torn, my patience is wearing thin!"  Ezra growled, his tail visibly tightening around the young woman's neck causing her to gasp.  "Where.  Is.  My.  Brother!?"

            Torn swallowed past the lump in his throat, he was treading on thin ice.  "He's dead."  He barely got the last word out before he was lifted off the floor and pinned to the wall, one of Ezra's bloody hands around his throat, the other relieving him of his gun.  The nurse was released in the process and ran from the room, seeking help.  "Don't lie to me Torn."  Ezra snarled, fangs bared.

            "I'm not."  Torn gasped as he felt razor sharp talons digging into his neck.  "He was killed in a racing accident."

            Ezra blinked, his grip on the Commander's throat relaxing.  He eyed Torn skeptically.  "When?"

            Torn silently thanked who ever was watching over him.  "A few months ago."

            "And what was done with his body?" 

            "There wasn't a body to recover.  He crashed in to a month's supply of eco."

            To Torn's surprised Ezra smirked.  "No body what-so-ever?"

            "No."  Torn said thoroughly confused.  "Only pieces of his hoverbike and racing mask were recovered."

            "So you saw him crash?"

            "No."  Torn said trying to figure out what Ezra was getting at.  "I was told about it after."

            "So how do you know that there was no body?"

            Torn hesitated, Ezra had a point.  He hadn't seen the crash himself and was only going by what Jak and Ashelin told him.  But neither of them could have been sure either.  Jak had run off right after the race, because the Baron sent the Krimzon Guard after him.  And Ashelin didn't find out about it until the day after.  And no one else had said anything about it, partly because no one else was asked and the Metal Heads had broken in to the city not long after.  So there may have been a slim chance that Erol had survived. 

            "I don't."  Torn finally said.

            Ezra chuckled, an eerie chilling sound.  Torn was suddenly released and Ezra backed away from him, his chuckle turning into laughter.  Torn rubbed his neck as he watched Ezra wander to the other side of the room.  "What's so funny?"  He asked looking at his hand in disgust, semi-dry blood covered it.

            "I'm willing to bet that Erol is very much alive."  The hybrid said smirking.  "Granted he may not be in the best condition."

            Torn looked at him, horrified.  "What makes you believe that?"

            "Call it…a gut feeling."

            There was no sense in arguing the point, especially with Ezra, and Erol wasn't much better now that Torn thought about.  Once they had their minds set on something you had a snowball's chance in Hell at trying to change them.

            Foot steps echoing down the hallway caught Torn's attention and he looked over his shoulder just as Ashelin and a group of guards reached the door.  "Torn, are you ok?"  Ashelin asked as she leveled her gun at Ezra, the guards following her example.

            "Fine."  Torn said still wiping blood from his neck.

            "What in the hell happened here!?  It looks like a pack of Metal Heads tore it apart."

            Ezra snickered.  "You're half correct."

            "Why did you kill them?"

            Ezra frowned slightly.  "Hey, they started it.  This wouldn't have happened if they had told me what I wanted."

            "You could have waited for me."  Torn said walking over to Ashelin, at the same time he waved for the guards to lower their guns.  They did so reluctantly.

            "I spent three fucking years waiting in a rotting prison cell!"  The hybrid barked.  "I'm a little sick of waiting."

            The room fell into silence.  The group at the door shifting uncomfortably under Ezra's icy glare.  

            "So, what do you want?"  Ashelin asked, eyeing the hybrid warily.  Erol, she could handle, his brother was another story.  Especially now.

            "Honestly…"  He said suddenly becoming calm.  "A shower would be nice."

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Author's Rant:  Chapter 4 is finally finished yay!!  Ending's kinda weird (shrugs) but I decided to end the chapter on a lighter note.  Anyway, I should have my scanner up soon (crosses fingers) so you'll be able to see some pics of Ezra and some of my other stuff.  Yeah so, R&R please, and I'll update as soon as it can.  Oh, I forgot to mention that this story will eventually connect with the Jak 3 story line; I'm just waiting for more game info.

FL:  Freedom League Guard.  The renamed Krimzon Guard who now wear blue.  Just FYI if anyone didn't know.

Notes on Ezra:  When I originally created Ezra, I had chosen a far different personality than he has in the story.  He was a shy, timid type that had one of those can't-we-all-just-get-along type of mentalities.  In the end that didn't work for the story (I didn't want him to be a complete opposite of his brother).  So I gave him a sarcastic, antisocial, don't-fuck-with-me kind of mentality, works much better I think. 

            As stated in the story, Ezra loves bladed weapons (could be considered a fetish) even though he is more than capable of firing a gun, but he thinks there overrated. 


	5. Memories and Betrayle

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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the J&D characters. I do own Ezra, Ardal and any other characters that may come in later chapters. **

**Thanks to Reviewers: **

**Hellmouth2: Ezra has always been a name I've liked, mostly because it's unusual and not used all that often.**

**Krin: 'Note to self: Quit writing things in my A/R's that I don't put in my stories.' Thank you much for the review. ::Glomps you:: **

**Snowecat: Most if not all of my OC's are male, my female OC's just don't turn out so well and they get tossed back into my pile of half-baked ideas to perhaps one day get a second chance at a fan fic or renamed and made into a male character (the latter usually being the case.)**

**YunieYuna: Thanks for reviewing ::huggles:: **

**Ezra: Ya know if you guys keep giving her praise like that, her head may explode. 'Thinks for a moment and decides that that may not be a bad thing.' On second thought keep it up; it'll be funny when it happens. ::snickers::**

**Krimzon: ::rolls eyes:: Oh God, I've created a monster. **

**Ezra: ::Grins:: Yes you have.**

**Krimzon: Anyway, on with the story.**

* * *

Torn stood watching Ezra from the doorway of Erol's room, which had been locked up after the accident. Not that that had stopped the hybrid. Ezra had simply torn through the lock like it was nothing.

Ezra now wore a black cloth tank top and matching pants, modified to accommodate his tail. His hair had been cut the way it had been before, like Erol's but with long strands in front that hung in his face.

Ezra sat cross-legged in the middle of a room, piles of things around him. He had 'broken' into his brother's room after he had gotten cleaned up, and now he was going through boxes of Erol's things. His tail casually flicked back and forth as he flipped through a stack of pictures Erol had just thrown in a box, along with some other things. He smirked when he found a picture of him and Erol when they were much younger, 16 if Ezra remembered correctly. Erol had just gotten his first racing zoomer and had talked Ezra into going for a ride with him. The end result was Ezra clinging to his brother's waist for dear life while Erol was flying down the streets like a madman. A friend of theirs had taken the picture when they shot by.

"There are few things I blame my brother for, but my dislike for zoomers is one of them." Ezra said holding the picture over his shoulder for Torn to see. The Commander jumped, he didn't think that Ezra had known that he was there.

"With the way Erol drove, I wouldn't be surprised." Torn said glancing around the room. It seemed that the only things Erol had bothered to unpack, besides his clothing, were his racing trophies, which covered most all-available wall space. A few posters and Erol's shock rod rifle, which hadn't been used since Erol had first started in the guard, hung on the rest of the available space. Every thing else was still packed up in boxes. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you looking for?"

Ezra jerked his thumb towards a stack of twenty or so boxes near the door. "My stuff."

"I see." Torn said, lifting the lid of one box and peeked in. It was full to the top with knives of various sizes and styles. "So how many of these boxes have blades in them?"

Ezra glanced over his shoulder his eyes quickly scanning over the stack. "Over half." He shrugged.

"That's…quite a few." Torn said closing the lid of the box. "So why exactly do you favor knives over guns?"

"Why?" Ezra repeated as he stood. He seemed to ponder the question for a moment before finally answering. "I dunno, I guess they're more appealing than a gun." He said removing the lid off the box Torn had been in just moments before and lifting a long slim dagger from it. "They're easer to conceal, and make little to no noise when used." He looked the weapon over as he spoke; checking for any blemishes that may have appeared during his absence. "And in all honesty, they're works of art, many taking weeks to create."

"But wouldn't using a gun be easer?"

"I suppose so, but where's the fun in aiming and pulling a trigger?"

"I didn't think it was supposed to be _fun_."

"Oh come on, wouldn't you rather be up-close-and-personal with you opponent, then blowing his head off from a distance?"

"No, not really." Torn's response earned him a snicker from the hybrid. "You need to learn to live a little."

Ezra put the blade back with the others, changing the subject as he did so. "Why was Erol's stuff moved to the palace?" He asked going back to the box with the pictures in it.

"He became Commander about a year after you disappeared."

Ezra snorted. "You're kidding?" He glanced over his shoulder at Torn who shook his head. "How in the hell did that happen?" He knew his brother never wanted to be Commander, so what could have changed his mind?

"Erol changed after he found out you were 'dead'." Torn said leaning against a desk. "For a few days he never even left his room. When a couple of guards went in to try to get him out, he all but killed them. He finally left his room by himself." Torn paused to see if Ezra had anything to say; when nothing was said he continued. "The Baron made him Commander after he had seen the way Erol handled out-of-line civvies and Metal Heads."

"You were demoted?" Ezra asked sounding a little surprised.

"No. I left the guard."

"Glad to see someone made it without getting caught." Ezra muttered bitterly as he picked up a small bundle from the bottom of the box, and began to unwrap it.

Torn decided not to respond to the comment. "Ashelin wanted to know if you wanted to rejoin the guard, she's willing to let the incident at the hospital go if you can keep yourself under control." It had taken Torn two hours to talk Ashelin into letting Ezra stay, despite what he had done. Ashelin finally gave in, although she despised the fact that she would have to deal with Count Veger when he caught wind of the incident. Unfortunately Torn was left with the task of keeping an eye on the hybrid.

"Asheiln wanted to know or _you _wanted to know?" Ezra asked looking over his shoulder with a smirk. He chuckled when Torn just glared at him. Ezra shrugged. "What else is there for me to do? The Barons dead, so that ruins my plans for getting back at him for what he did to me."

"I don't think Ashelin would've a liked you stalking her father anyway."

"Oh, like he really care about her." Ezra said, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. "Besides, I wasn't planning on stalking him; I was planning on killing him." Ezra's gaze shifted to the now unwrapped object in his hand.

"That's not the point…" Torn started, but was interrupted.

"Who gave this to Erol?" Ezra asked holding up the object for Torn to see.

Torn glance at the broken blade Ezra held in his hand. "Hm…Oh that. I think Lieutenant Ardal gave it to him. "Why?"

"And did he tell everyone that I was dead?"

"Well yes, both the Baron and Ardal did."

"Is he still with the Guard?" Ezra sniffed at the blade picking up his, Erol's and Ardal's scent on it.

"Yes…he's head of Beta squad."

"Good." Ezra said heading towards the door, a scowl set on his face.

"Where are you going?" Torn hollered after Ezra's retreating form. "Damn it!" He hissed when Ezra didn't respond. "You wouldn't think he was left to die in a prison cell for three years with the way he's acting." He muttered to himself as he took off after the hybrid.

* * *

A lone figure made his way through the fortress, his heavy footsteps echoing off the steel walls. He wore simple body armor, nothing like armor worn by other guards, and his military uniform beneath it. His pure white shoulder blade length hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, a few stray strands falling across his tattooed forehead.

Since the disappearance/death of his commanding officer four years ago, Ardal had been promoted to his position by the Baron. He had never been too fond of Ezra, mostly because it never settled well with him that Ezra held a higher rank, even though Ardal had been in the guard longer. So when he found out that Ezra was leaving the guard he jumped on the chance to eliminate him.

A loud _clank_ brought the Lieutenant back to his senses and he spun on his heal, his violet eyes scanning the area. Seeing nothing he slowly turned back to continue on his way when he noticed something lying in the middle of the hallway. Ardal cocked his head to one side and approached the object. He knelt and lifted it from the walkway and almost dropped it when he realized that it was the broken dagger that he had given to Erol. An uneasy feeling crept over Ardal as he stood and looked around again.

"Hello Ardal." A cold voice whispered in his ear.

Ardal froze, he knew that voice. Slowly he looked up, only to come eye to eye with Ezra. Ardal screamed and stumbled backwards falling to the ground, his gun falling from his grasp and sliding across the floor.

Ezra hung suspended by his tail from and overhead pipe. He watched the Lieutenant for a moment; a sadistic smirk crossed his face as he dropped to the ground. "What's wrong Ardal?" Ezra purred. "You look as though you've seen a ghost".

"….." Ardal's mouth gapped open as he scrambled away from the advancing half-breed.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"The Baron said you were dead." Ardal whimpered.

"The Baron said a lot of things." Ezra sneered. "How much of it do you think was true?"

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" Ardal looked about ready to cry, or piss his pants, which ever came first.

Ezra grinned, when it came down to it, Ardal was little more than a coward. "The thought _had_ crossed my mind."

Ardal visibly blanched and managed to get to his feet, but rather than face Ezra he turned and broke into a run.

Ezra chuckled. "Run all you want." He murmured. "You won't get far."

* * *

By the time Torn had found the rampaging half-breed, Ezra had found Lieutenant Ardal and had him trapped beneath a large set of pipes that ran along the wall. If it wasn't for the fact that it was Ezra attacking the Lieutenant, Torn could've sworn it was a Metal Head Grunt trying to get at Ardal.

Torn then did something that, when he thought back on it, was probably one of the dumbest things he would ever do. He ran forward and wrapped one arm around Ezra's waist and the other around his left leg and tugged sharply, pulling Ezra away from Ardal. The hybrid shot a surprised glace over his shoulder before Torn sent him tumbling to the ground.

"Back off!" Torn barked aiming his pistol at Ezra's head.

Ezra whipped around and snarled at the Commander, fangs bared. He could tell Torn was afraid it was evident in his scent and his movements, but he made no move to attack the Commander. Ezra knew he could survive a gun shot to the body; he wasn't so sure about a point-blank shot to the head though. He shifted his gaze from Torn to his pray, who was currently being helped from his hiding place by two fellow guards. "Get out of my way Torn." Ezra growled as he looked back at the Commander.

Torn glared back not willing to back down, despite the danger he was in. "Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"This is what's wrong." Ezra held up the broken dagger. "This was mine, and that _bastard_ took it from me and used it as proof of my murder. He's the reason I am the way I am, he's the one who turned me over the Baron and the one who lied to Erol and everyone else."

"Yeah, but killing him won't fix anything."

"Maybe not, but it'll make me feel better."

"Don't you think you've done enough killing?"

Ezra's scowl faded, and for a moment he almost seemed confuse. It was almost as if reality had just struck, and it left Ezra reeling from the blow. He let out a noise that sounded somewhere between a whine and a growl and turned away from the Commander, running a frustrated hand through his hair. He paced the hallway for a few moments before stopping at the wall and leaning against it. "He fucked up my life Torn." He murmured.

"I know." Torn placed his gun back in its holster. "But we're trying to get this city back together, and we don't need you going out and slaughtering everyone who wronged you." Ezra dug his talons into the wall, scraping small gouges in the steel. "He'll be turned over to the Council for judgment, and they'll decide what will be done with him." Torn continued.

When Ardal heard this he began to protest. "What!? You can't do that!"

Torn turned, glaring at the Lieutenant. "Get him out of here." He ordered. "I'll deal with him later."

Ardal was dragged from the room, kicking and screaming the whole way.

When Torn turned back Ezra was calmly watching him.

"Come on, I'll buy you a drink."

Ezra smirked. "You're getting soft Torn; you've never bought anyone a drink."

Torn gave Ezra a not-so-convincing glare. "Get going before I change my mind."

"Alright, if you insist."

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**Author's Rant: I still say I write Torn out of character, oh well. You'll have to forgive my lack of military knowledge, but I did my best. Feel free to correct me if I screwed up though, and I'll fix it. And don't be fooled by Ardal's hair color, he's only 30 years old and he was born with it that color. Anyway, next chapter Ezra and Jak finally meet. R&R please, I love feedback. **


	6. Jak

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the J&D characters. I do own Ezra, Ardal and any other characters I may add in later chapters.

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been watching nothing but Invader Zim for the past couple of weeks (RIDE THE PIG!!!!) I also picked up a couple of copies of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac (JHONEN RULES!!!) Talk about some twisted shit…and I loved it. ::giggles insanely::

I may as well say this now before someone complains about why Ezra doesn't just slam Jak with one of his own dark eco attacks. Simple, Ezra lacks the ability to manipulate dark eco like Jak does. He does, how ever, have a higher tolerance to it than Jak. So were Jak's dark powers are offensive, Ezra's are defensive.

I also fixed a booboo I made in chapter 3 (forgot to italicize a paragraph) and the typos in chapter 5 (thanks to those who pointed them out) and I gave titles to the chapters.

Thanks to Reviewers:

**Soran Morlovic**: ::gasps:: Jerk!! ::makes a failed attempt at looking insulted:: lol. Oh, Erol will be in this story, just not until much later. **Krin**: ::SQUEE!! Glomps you:: **Lina**: **Snowecat**: Thanks for pointing out the typos ::stabs evil typos with her pocket knife 'DIE YOU BASTARDS!!!':: **ShadowQueen Lizz**: ::Offers a band aid while munching on goodies:: thanx for the review. **The Login Won't Work**: **The White Dwarf**: **Jess**: **Orlandobloomfn**: **Tifa-lockhart-27**: Ya know if you hadn't said anything I wouldn't have noticed (just shows how much I pay attention ::smirks::) **Quick-demon**: Erol is still alive. Well at least what is left of him.

Overhauled the fight scene, and a few other spots.

Ok, I'm done ranting now…

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He stood; gawking at the nearly 3-story tall orange and yellow ottsel-devil that now perched atop the roof of what had been at one time the Hip Hog Haven Saloon. His eye twitched as he briefly wondered who in their right mind would put something that gaudy where everyone could see it.

Ezra had found one of his old uniforms to wear, which consisted of a high necked red and black vest and matching pants. A brown belt cut across his torso from his left shoulder to his right hip and a second belt around his waist that held one of his larger daggers. Black sleeves covered his arms from deltoid to hand and were held up by silver bands around the top. Black spike tipped boots covered in brown yakkow leather finished off the outfit.

Torn said the red would have to be changed to blue but for now the old uniform was fine.

"The Naughty Ottsel?" Ezra said, not really sure he like the new name.

"It's a long story." Torn said heading towards the entrance. Ezra gave the statue one final glance before following the Commander inside.

The interior hadn't changed much since the last time Ezra was there. He noted that a few more Metal Head trophies had been added, the large one above the bar being one of them, and most of the pictures that Krew had had been replaced with pictures of an ottsel.

"The new owner has a thing for ottsels doesn't he?"

"Wait until you meet the owner."

As the pair reached the bar, said owner came sliding across the bar top in blur of orange and yellow.

"Welcome to the…" Daxter's greeting sputtered to a stop when he set eyes on the flame haired guest. His fur seemed to lose all color as he backed away. "But…Jak…we…race…eco…boom."

Ezra watched the ottsel dumbfounded; it was talking, or at least trying to.

The ottsel continued to stutter before finally backing itself off the counter and falling to the floor with a _thump_. "Is it supposed to do that?" Ezra asked Torn who snickered at the poor ottsel.

"That was the owner."

Ezra stared at Torn for a moment. "You're shitting me."

Torn shook his head, still chuckling.

Tess entered from the back room and smiled when she saw the Commander. "Hey Torn…what's so funny?" She asked before looking over at Ezra who was leaning over the bar and looking behind it.

Tess's eyes went wide with shock. "Erol!?"

"No, his brother." Torn said taking a seat at the bar, before adding. "This is Ezra."

"Erol had a brother?"

"Has." Ezra corrected; his attention still on Daxter. "Are you going to leave that thing lying there?" He asked, pointing to the unconscious ottsel.

"Oh!" Tess exclaimed as she scooped Daxter up from the floor. "Poor baby, how did you get down there?" She fanned him with her hand and turned back to the pair at the bar. "What happened to him?"

"He slipped." Torn snickered.

"Poor guy." She said snuggling into his fur before glancing over at Ezra again and taking in his 'unique' features.

"Can I help you?" He snapped, not liking the fact that she was staring.

Tess gasped and looked down at the comatose ottsel in her arms, her fingers playing nervously in his fur. "Sorry." She said softly. "I didn't mean to be rude." She turned and walked towards the back room. "I'm going to go and lay Daxter down."

Torn elbowed the hybrid hard in the side and shot him a glare. Ezra grunted and glared back. "What the hell was that for?" He hissed. "Apologize _now_ or I'll tie your tail in a knot." The Commander growled back. Ezra looked as though he had been slapped. Him? Apologize? Never.

'_Now_.' Torn mouthed when Tess returned. Their staring contest went on for a few moments longer before Ezra finally relented.

"Look, I want to…apologize for earlier." Ezra forced out. "I shouldn't have snapped." He glared at Torn out of the corner of his eye only to see the Commander smirking at him.

"Oh, that's ok." Tess said with a smile. "Now, is there anything I can get for you two?"

They were interrupted when a voice called from the saloon's door. "Hey Tess, is Dax around?" It was Jak.

"He's sleeping in the back room." She said from behind the bar.

"Let me guess." He said with a smirk. "A hangover?"

"Actually, no." Tess answered setting a few glasses on the counter.

Jak's eyebrows shot up. "Well that's a surprise."

"You want something to drink?" The blond asked pouring some liquid into the glasses and passed them to Torn and Ezra.

Jak shook his head. "Maybe later, I have to run a couple of errands for Ashelin." He said as he glanced over in Torn's direction. "Which I wondering, Torn, why you aren't doing them and I am?"

"Hey, I've got my hands full just trying to keep him out of trouble." Torn said motioning to the redhead and taking a sip from his glass. Ezra only snickered at the remark.

Jak hadn't given the man next to Torn much notice, but now that he did he wasn't all that happy the this guy looked a lot a like a certain racer. "And…_who_ the hell are you?"

Ezra turned to face the boy, sensing the hostility in his voice. "Oh, is this how we greet people now? By biting their heads off?"

"Maybe if it wasn't for the fact that you _strongly_ resemble the jerk that went and kill himself after losing the class one race, I wouldn't be biting your head off."

Ezra's ears flattened back and his tail tightened around the legs of the bar stool causing the metal to groan under the sudden pressure. "He's not dead!" He hissed.

"Oh, okay. So, splattering yourself all over the race track isn't dead?" Jak smirked when he heard an irritated growl from the hybrid.

"Watch yourself boy!"

Jak's eyes narrowed, he hated when Erol called him _boy_ and he wasn't too pleased that this 'look-alike' was calling him it too. "What are you going to do about it?"

Torn shook his head and let it fall into his hand. 'For the love of Mar Jak, please don't get him going again.' He thought, dreading the fact that he was probably going to have to break up another fight.

Ezra snarled at the blond and stood, glowering down at him the whole time. "Keep degrading my brother and I'll put your fucking head through a wall."

"Brother huh?" Jak smirked mockingly, ignored the threat, and looked Ezra up and down. "What happen, you get sewer duty when Erol got…" Jak gasped suddenly as his air supply was cut off when Ezra closed his hand around his throat. "That was your last chance." Ezra growled pulling Jak closer as he clawed at the hybrid's arm trying to relieve the strain on his neck.

"Whoa!" Torn stood and grabbed Ezra's arm, shooing Tess from the room at the same time. "Please let's not start this again; Jak just had a bad run in with your brother and…"

"_Bad run in_ my ass!" Jak scoffed. "That bastard tortured me for two years, for no reason!"

That did it. "You just dug your own grave boy!" Ezra hissed, shoving Torn out of the way and stormed towards the door, dragging a struggling Jak along with him.

Moments later Jak was sent flying out the door and into the street, civvies jumping out of the way as he tumbled and slid to a stop in front of the Ottsel with a very pissed Ezra in pursuit.

Jak shook his head and looked up just in time to avoid getting Ezra's foot in his face. He rolled away before lunging in an attempt to tackle the hybrid while he recovered from his attack.

Ezra stumbled backwards, but didn't fall, when the boy threw his arms around his waist. He snarled and grabbed Jak by the collar of his tunic and slammed his knee into the teen's stomach, dislodging him from his person. And once again he threw Jak, this time sending him into the port's polluted water.

The hybrid snorted, ignoring the cries for help from the people who saw the fight, and approached the waters edge to wait for Jak to resurface. He peered into the murky water only to see a few small bubbles rising to the surface. Ezra cock his head to one side, the boy couldn't have drowned that fast. Suddenly the water began to bubble furiously almost as if it was boiling, and a purple light radiated from its depths. "What the fuck!" Ezra staggered back a few steps from waters edge as a pillar of water exploded upwards into the air with purple lightning swirling around it.

He watched as a white hand tipped with long black claws gripped edge of the cement wall, a second one soon joining it, but rather than the green-blond haired teen Ezra had just flung into the port, a silver haired white skinned monster pulled himself from the putrid water. Cold black eyes glared hatefully across the street at the hybrid, who was watching the White Demon with curiosity rather than fear.

Dark Jak stood to his full height, stretching and rolling his shoulders, bones popping and dark eco crackling along his body in response to the movement. "Let's try that again." He growled as he deepened his stance ready to tear into his opponent. But to his surprise, Ezra only grinned at him.

"Well that explains why you reek of dark eco." Ezra snickered then paused to sniff at the air. "Or maybe that's just the water."

Dark Jak snarled and charged at the hybrid, determined to rip the smirk off his face, and maybe tear his head off as well.

'That's it Ezra, piss him off!' Ezra thought as he took a step back and braced himself for the attack.

Jak collided seconds later with Ezra, the both of them snarling and clawing at one another as they hit the ground. Ezra sneered and coiled his tail around Dark Jak's neck before tugging sharply, pulling him backwards and slamming the boy's head into the concrete, drawing a grunt from him. The blow barely phased the younger elf and he began his counter attack just as the hybrid jump atop him and prepared to tear into him.

A ball of dark eco began to collect between their bodies causing Ezra to cease his attack and stare down at the steadily growing sphere of energy.

An animalistic screech tore from Ezra's throat as he was blown back when the dark eco erupted upwards, sending him flying down the street. He twisted in the air and landed hard on all fours, the pavement cracking under the force. Dark eco crackled along his body causing him to shudder. He _hated_ that feeling. A low guttural growl grated in his throat as he looked back up the street to see Jak sprinting after him. But rather than attack and meet the boy halfway, Ezra waited, muscles tensed ready to lunge.

Dark got to his feet just in time to see Ezra land. A scowl crossed his face, he was displeased with the fact that the hybrid had landed on his feet unscathed. Dark growled and took off after Ezra, dark eco collecting in his hands.

Ezra then leapt, catching Jak by the face and forcing him to the ground. The urge to take the boy's throat in his jaws and shake him like a rabid crocadog would a piece of meat became overwhelming, and Ezra almost went through with it. Unfortunately Dark had other plans, and Ezra was force to rethink his plan of attack when the boy's fist connected with his jaw.

After striking the hybrid in the face, Dark began to repeatedly send surge after painful surge of dark eco into Ezra, causing him to cry out in pain, but doing little else. The hybrid took hold of one of Dark's horns and slammed his head into the ground trying to stop the dark warrior's assault, at the same time he remove his knife from its sheath. "You're gonna have to try harder than that boy!" He sneered and made to drive the blade into Dark's shoulder. Jak caught Ezra's wrist before the knife made contact, his other hand locked with the hybrid's.

"Oh come on! You're only delaying the inevitable." Ezra smirked pressing down harder on the knife.

Dark Jak only grinned in response before releasing Ezra's wrist, letting the blade fall.

'Fool!' Ezra thought to himself, his smirk becoming a feral grin. His joy was short lived however when he heard the all-to-familiar _creak_ and _snap_ of tempered steel as his knife shattered against Dark Jak's skin. 'What!?' His mind reeled at what just happened. Faltered and came eye to eye with Jak, his shocked expression reflected in the Dark Warrior's cold black eyes.

"That's so not right!" Ezra moaned before Jak slammed a ball of dark eco into the side of his head, sending him tumbling to one side.

Dark Jak pushed himself up from the ground, flicking a few shards of steel from his tunic as a triumphant grin spread across his pale face.

"Oh, that was real cute! Real fucking cute!" Ezra growled as he stood shakily and gave his head a quick twist to one side then the other, popping his neck. "Is there any other tricks you want to let me in on before we continue?" Dark answered by sending a shockwave of dark eco hurdling towards him. The wall of eco quickly overtook the hybrid before he could react, and he cried out when substance struck him.

Ezra fell to his knees, his arms wrapped tightly around himself, as the eco dissipated. He let his head rest against the ground as he coughed up a thick mixture of blood and dark eco as his body rejected the excess. He had done this more times than he'd like to remember while in prison when the Baron had overdosed him. If he believed in taking one's own life he would've ended it all years ago, but his damned foolish pride denied him that luxury.

Ezra's ears twitched when he heard Dark Jak's approaching foot steps. He watched the boy from the corner of eye, dark eco writhed up and down his arms and crackled along the ground as he moved closer. 'That's right, keep coming.' Ezra hissed to himself.

Dark Jak raised his right hand into the air, dark eco collecting in his palm. His grin widened as he readied to crush his opponent. But before he could follow through, Ezra's tail coiled around his left leg and jerked out from beneath him. At the same time the hybrid shot up from the ground, one hand grasping Jak's tunic the other griping his right wrist.

"You were better off keeping your distance." Ezra said as he pulled and twisted Dark Jak's arm, dislocating the limb from its socket. The Dark Warrior howled in pain and lashed out at the hybrid, cutting deep gouges into his face and whipping his head sharply to one side.

A slow hiss escaped Ezra's clenched teeth as warm dark metallic blood ran down his face. Slowly he turned his icy green gaze to the figure before him. He gripped Dark's uninjured arm in his left hand and gave the injured one a sharp twist. "Pathetic." Ezra hissed as he leaned in close, the scratches on his face now healing. "From the way Torn talked about you, I would've expected something better." He said as he began digging his nails into his captive's wrists, eco laced blood seeping from the wounds. "But I'll give you credit for the little light show that you just put on. You almost had me beat, but almost doesn't cut it."

Dark's left eye twitched slightly when Ezra's nails sank into his wrist. "You have no idea what you're dealing with." He threatened and winced again as the hybrid twisted his arm a little more.

"Oh, I think I do." He said. "You see, I was the Baron's first Dark Warrior, but seeing as I wouldn't behave like a good dog like I was supposed to, he locked me up and left me to die."

"Oh, poor baby!" Dark hissed sarcastically. The remark earned him a fist to the stomach and an elbow to his back when he doubled over, dropping him to one knee. He was jerked back up by his throat, the other's talons digging into his neck. He was then whipped around and smashed against the wall.

Dark pushed himself from the wall before suddenly clutching his head in pain and shuddered violently as he changed back to his original form.

Jak groaned and he collapsed to the ground, his dark eco had run out and now he was at the mercy of his opponent. He jumped a little when Ezra's boots came into view, the nearly 5 inch spike on the end of them staring him in the face. "What are you waiting for? Finish me off." Jak said when Ezra did nothing.

Ezra gave an amused snort before responding. "Now that's not very fair now is it?"

Jak looked up at the hybrid, eyeing him warily. "You fight fair?" Jak said in mock surprise.

Ezra's eye twitched in irritation, and he fought the urge to jam his boot spike into the boy's skull. "Ya know it wouldn't be that hard for me to rip your head off right now…"

"Then do it!" Jak interrupted, his eyes blazing defiantly.

"Keep that fucking attitude up and I will!" Ezra shot back, before he wheeled around and strode towards the Ottsel.

Jak gritted his teeth as he popped his arm back into place and slowly he stood; his whole body ached after being slammed around so much. He hated to admit it, but he would rather race Erol around the city a hundred times, than to get into another fight with Ezra. "So, you're not going to kill me for what I said about Erol?"

"Consider that your warning." Ezra called over his shoulder. "Besides." He shrugged. "You owe me a new knife."

"So, what are you going to do next time? Gut me?" Jak asked sarcastically as he limped after the hybrid.

"I was thinking maybe slitting your throat, but now that you mention that, it'd be more fun spilling your entrails all over the ground."

Jak looked about ready to lose his last meal. "Has anyone ever told you that you're sick?"

Ezra seemed thoughtful for a moment before shrugging. "No, I can't say anyone has."

"Well then let me be the first."

They were just about to enter the saloon when an irate Commander exited. For a brief moment relief washed over his face before the scowl returned. "I should kick both your asses for that stunt you just pulled." He barked. "If it wasn't for me, you two would've had half the guard after you."

"And we thank you for keeping them at bay." Ezra said, a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Don't get cocky with me." Torn warned. "Or else I'll neuter your sorry ass."

Ezra broke into a toothy fang filled grin, obviously not taking the threat seriously.

"Um…excuse me? Are you guys just going to stand around all day?" Jak asked as he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

Torn frowned when he noticed the way Jak held his left arm. "What the hell did you do to him?"

"Beat the shit out of him." Ezra said as he pushed past Torn.

"Are you insane!?" Torn said helping Jak inside.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say insane, just not all there." Came the retort.

"I'll say." Jak muttered.

"Hey Tess!?" Torn hollered.

The blond poked her head from the back room, a questioning look on her face.

"I need a couple of med packs; Jak got himself roughed up pretty good."

"What! You make it sound like this whole thing was my fault."

"It was your fault." Torn replied. "You provoked him."

Jak stared at the Commander incredulously. "You're taking _his_ side?"

"No," Torn said helping Jak out of his tunic. "I'm just saying, if you're gonna pick a fight with Ezra you better be able to beat him."

Jak opened his mouth to reply but paused when an amused chuckle was heard from one of the rear booths where Ezra had taken a seat. Jak shot a glare over his shoulder at the hybrid who only grinned in return.

Tess returned a few moments later with some medical packs. "You gonna be ok?" She asked smiling and giving Jak's shoulder a pat.

"I'll live." He said returning the smile.

Ezra rolled his eyes at the gesture, and looked about ready to gag.

"Where did you find him?" Jak asked, glancing back at the hybrid.

Torn shook his head. "It's a long story."

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Author's Rant: Better, yes? If not, oh well. I'm not changing it again.


End file.
